1. ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE. Reflecting on the things we are grateful for can help put things in perspective and give us a positive reality check. A wonderful daily ritual to incorporate into your mornings is to think of three things you are grateful for before getting out of bed. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude!

2. NOTICE NATURE. Paying attention to the details of the natural world that surrounds us brings joy and can be particularly helpful in fostering a deep appreciation for all of the four seasons. Whether it's the way the sunlight hits the beads of moisture on a spider web or the magic of a single swelling leaf bud in late winter, take time to observe and appreciate the beauty that is around us every day.

3. BREATHE DEEPLY. In order to breathe properly you need to breathe deeply into your abdomen not just your chest. Your body is designed to release 70% of its toxins through breathing. If you are not breathing effectively, you are not properly ridding your body of its toxins. Proper breathing also strengthens the heart, lungs and immune system; it improves the nervous system, our energy levels and our moods as well as reducing anxiety and relaxing the mind.

4. HEALTHY HYDRATION. We all know that it is recommended to drink eight, 8-ounce glasses of water per day. It increases energy and relieves fatigue, flushes out toxins, promotes weight loss, improves skin complexion, and boosts your immune system. Drinking water is such a basic thing yet most of us struggle with consuming even close to what is optimal. Make water more accessible for yourself by purchasing a couple styles of water bottles or sippy cups that work best for your routines and lifestyle. Try adding a sprig of mint or slices of citrus or cucumber. Always keep your water nearby and work to make drinking it a frequent habit throughout the day.

5. PRACTICE SMILING. Smiling has a lot of benefits. It releases endorphins, natural pain killers and serotonin, it boosts your immune system, it lowers your blood pressure, it can change your mood, plus it lifts the face and makes you look younger! So put a little smile on your face whenever you can - you might be surprised by the positive effects such a simple action can have; both on you and those around you!

One of my favorite smells this time of year is a big bag of freshly harvested nettles. Yup. Stinging Nettles. Love 'em.
I love the ritual of going out in the woods with my work gloves, a pair of scissors, and a grocery bag and picking nettles. There's something really satisfying about crouching down in the woods and carefully harvesting them. You really have a chance to slow down and notice all that is quietly sprouting up all around you.

Nettles are totally a beauty food! They contain one of the highest levels of the 'beauty mineral' silicon than in any other food. They are an amazing source of iron, calcium, beta-carotene, vitamins A, C & E, phosphates and other minerals. Nettles are also a blood purifier. They neutralize and dissolve acidic wastes in the blood and are highly alkaline. Nettles are wonderful for healthy hair, skin and nails. Here are some simple ideas of how to incorporate this wild beauty food into your diet:

- Use in place of spinach or kale in recipes
- Start your morning w/ mineral rich, detoxifying nettle tea
- Steam & season w/ sea salt, vinegar or lemon
- Run through a juicer w/ other fruits & veggies
- Make pesto using nettles
- Dry them for later use
- Add to smoothies

How to Harvest
Gather nettles when they are young and tender before they flower. Harvest the top 4-6 inches of the plant and leave the rest to continue growing. Wear work gloves - and long sleeves and pants to avoid being stung. I find the easiest way to harvest is to cut the plant with scissors and transfer to a shopping bag or basket. Once in the kitchen I use tongs to handle the nettles.
Yes, care must taken when utilizing these plants....but by all means, DO Meddle With Nettles!    

Check out these links for more info and ways to use this highly nourishing wild plant.

6 Stinging Nettles Recipes For Healthy Hair, Skin & Nails 

beauty-foods-stinging-nettles

Sugaring paste is simply made out of sugar, water, & lemon juice. It's even edible!
Wax has many chemical ingredients, mostly resins & preservatives.

Sugaring paste is applied at body temperature & will not burn your skin.
Hot wax must be heated to a high degree in order to become liquified. The heat causes swelling in the tissues which makes hair difficult to remove. Using this amount of heat has the potential to cause burning & scarring.

Sugar paste can be cleaned up easily with water. You will never leave a Sugaring treatment feeling sticky.
Since wax contains resins, chemical solvents are required to remove it's residues.

Sugar cannot adhere to live skin cells. Live skin cells are wet & because Sugar Paste is water soluble, it will not adhere to live skin cells. This means less discomfort for you & less trauma to your skin. Sugaring does remove dead skin cells - so as the hair is removed your skin is also getting exfoliated! It is gentle enough to go over the same area several times to extract stubborn hairs without causing skin damage or irritation. No tweezers needed.
Wax has been known to remove more than just the hair, since it can adhere directly to live skin cells, which makes waxing more painful & irritating. Wax cannot be applied to an area more than twice at the most. Tweezers are commonly used to get the leftover hairs the wax missed.

A single glob of Sugar Paste can be used over & over on different parts of your body then discarded after your treatment. It is never used on any other person.
When using a hot wax pot, the practitioner must use a clean & unused stick each time to dip into the wax for each strip applied. This creates more waste and more chance for contamination.

Sugaring Paste is hypoallergenic & non-comedogenic. Sugar naturally helps control cross contamination & bacteria cannot breed in the tub of sugar.
Cross contamination in a waxing room is always a danger, especially since bacteria will breed inside a tub of wax.

Using the Advanced Sugaring Technique the paste wraps around the hair making it pliable, while seeping into the hair follicle lubricating the hair to make the extraction more complete & gentle. The hair is removed out of the follicle only in the natural direction of growth, which helps to extract the hair intact.
One of the most common problems waxers face is early regrowth due to broken hairs. Waxing can leave 15% - 30% breakage behind. This problem is usually caused not by the esthetitian, but by the wax used. Since wax hardens on the hair, it has the tendency to break it off at the surface, rather than pull it out.

The Advanced Sugaring Technique requires about 1/16 inch of hair for successful extraction (1/8 inch tends to be optimal). Wax products require that you grow the hair out at least 1/4 inch before your next waxing.

After a number of Sugaring treatments the hair follicle begins to deplete. The hair grows in more refined each time. Because Sugar can extract such short hair, it is possible to extract the hair in the early growth phase, which can lead to permanency. You will see superior results in just a few treatments.

(*Information taken from Alexandira Professional Body Sugaring Reference Guide)

Click here for more info about Body Sugaring at the Beauty Temple

(Client responses from February 2012)

Love is a bright yellow star amid a myriad of white ones on a clear Winter's night.
Love is a gold-yellow berry left on a small un-named tree at the end of Autumn.
Love is having to get lost before being found.
Love is standing alone at midnight, wishing with all your heart on a clear-skied full monn at eight degrees below zero.
Love is being smart enough to know better, but unable to resist when it happens to you.
Love is never finding the rainbow's end... but searching for it.
Love is the captivating swing and sway of hips that first caught me on a mountain trail.
Love is sitting in the hot tub together on a chilly winters night enjoying a clear sky hoping to make a wish on a falling star.
Love is the different sounds that snow makes underfoot as the temperature drops.
Love is silently looking into your lover's eyes, and knowing.
Love is overcoming foolish self-preservation and having faith in the word "yes"
Ahhhh Love, sweet and magical.  Its too bad some are so fearful of it.  We should run to love, no matter what the consequences, it will always be worth it !!!
Love is random breakfast in bed.
Love is a sweet, soft-spoken love song in the middle of the night, that only two will ever hear.
Love is cuddling with my kitty and giving him belly rubs.
Love is when my husband makes me pancakes on Sunday morning served on a warmed plate smothered with maple syrup and a side of almond butter.
Love is finding fresh home made pumpkin bread in my lunch basket.
Love is when my honey comes home with fresh flowers.
Love is getting a phone call from one of my daughters just to check in and say hello.
Love is feeling you've been a good friend.
Love is reaching out to someone who just needs a little extra attention.
Love is eating the slightly burnt cookies so he can have the good ones.
Love is standing in the window waving and blowing a good-bye kiss to my husband as he drives off to work  in the morning.

Ways we love ourselves:
- Girlz night! Facials, chocolate, and deep conditioning for the hair.
- Taking time to prepare delicious healthy food even when it's just for myself
- I tango dance 4-7 nights per week. It is an amazing physical release, as well as an
emotional release and I go home feeling satisfied and full.
- Lay in bed reading a good book (the Bloody Jack series is HIGHLY recommended!).
- Putz around in the yard until it's too dark to see
- Taking a nice long shower after working out at the gym
- Sitting on the front steps on a clear crisp morning listening to and watching the birds as I let the sun warm my face
- Take a Me Day where I block off the whole day in my day planner just for me. And then I do
whatever I feel like. Go on a date with myself (theatre, a walk, dinner, something like that)
- Treat myself to a facial
- sit around the house - which is nice for a change.
- I like to get a massage now & again but, mainly I try to take at least one bubble bath a month. I will fill up my garden jacuzzi tub with bubbles or a bath fizzie or nice essential oils. Makes me feel special.
- Having a second cup of coffee and taking time to read the newspaper
- Enjoying a dish of my favorite yogurt and fruit as I sit and gather my thoughts in front of the woodstove
- Taking an afternoon nap on a cool rainy day listening to the raindrops tapping on the metal roof as I drift off to sleep

Dry scalp?
Dry, flaky scalp is really common this time of year and is not to be confused with dandruff which is fungal and produces thick yellowish flakes. A good home remedy for treating dry scalp is to loosen the flakes of dead skin cells with a comb, brush, or a vigorous scalp massage. After exfoliating the scalp, you may want to lean over your bathtub and fluff out the flakes from the hair. Next, use jojoba oil or coconut oil, to give yourself a nice scalp massage as you hydrate and treat the scalp. It's best to leave the oil on overnight or at least for an hour or so before washing your hair. Doing this easy treatment once a week is usually sufficient for maintaining a happy healthy scalp.

Dry ends?
If so, try putting a very small amount of coconut oil or jojoba oil in the palm of your hand and apply it to the ends of your hair. Just leave it in. A very, very little goes a long way. If you have fine hair, the oil might weigh your hair down too much and look greasy. You might want to try this at night and wash your hair in the morning.

I usually put a tiny bit of oil on the ends of my hair the day I wash it after it's dry. It makes my hair look a little bit more 'lived in' instead of a more 'fluffy' look. Different people/different hair types have different preferences though. See what works for you. Using oil  helps keep the ends of my long hair in better shape in between haircuts too. Having dry ends may also be a sign that you are due for a haircut.

FOR SKIN: Facial Steams
Facial steams are a great way to open your pores to more deeply cleanse the face. They are also wonderfully relaxing and rejuvenating. Steam inhalation is also great for decongesting the upper respiratory system during a cold or flu.
 
It is best to start with a clean face. Boil one pint of well water or bottled water (you don't want to be inhaling treated water). Pour into a quart sized, heat proof bowl and place on a kitchen table or desk. Add any other ingredients at this time if you choose (see below). Sit down and slowly lower your head closer to the bowl. Be careful not to get your face too close, the steam can be hot. Using a bath towel, make a 'tent' over your head and the bowl so that the steam stays in. Remain under the steam tent for 20 min (I like to listen to relaxing music, a book on tape, or just meditate on my breathing). Now that your pores are open, it is a great time to do a masque for a deep cleaning (try Uspa's Facial Refining Mud). If a masque isn't in the cards, just rinse, tone, moisturize, and enjoy!
 
Some ideas for ingredients to add:
3 chamomile or mint tea bags
1-2 drops of essential oil:
            mint: to perk you up
            lavender or chamomile: soothing for skin & the spirit
            citrus, sage, thyme or oregano: for oily and/or pimpled skin
            licorice or fennel: for dry and/or mature skin


Here's a festive winter twist - add small sprigs of fresh cut greens! No, not lettuce or kale! Cedar, pine, spruce, juniper, or fir! The heat of the water will help to release their fragrant natural oils - mmmmm.....
For a real treat, arrange winter greens and candles around your bath tub then toss a bit right in the tub! There's nothing quite like the smell of fresh winter greens in your home.

We all are familiar with the concept of coffee as a beverage, but did you know that it can be beneficial for the skin too?!? Yes, coffee can actually help perk up your skin too!

The caffeine that is in coffee has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and stimulating properties. It works by encouraging circulation and blood flow, which helps remove toxins, fat and excess fluids.

"Caffeine is now found in some face creams and serums. The acid in it functions as an antioxidant. Because several studies have found that it may protect against sun-induced skin cancer, it's a great extra boost to your usual sunscreen and antioxidants. Because caffeine also constricts blood vessels, it has been shown to help reduce skin redness.

In eye gels, caffeine helps deflate puffy skin because it constricts blood vessels. It helps drain excess blood and lymph fluid to help temporarily deflate puffy eyes and reduce the appearance of dark circles.

Nothing cures cellulite or eliminates it entirely. The best we can do is make it look better for a few hours. Caffeine is the main ingredient in anti-cellulite lotions. It works by temporarily dehydrating fluid from fat cells, making them look smaller, according to dermatologists.

A number of scrubs contain ground coffee beans or seeds as an exfoliate. There are also fragrances and lip balms with coffee or mocha, an invigorating scent. Smelling coffee can be a stimulant and make you alert, because you associate the smell with the invigorating effects of drinking coffee. It's a learned response." 
(Source: www.cbsnews.com/2100-500169_162-3087624.html)

I've been really enjoying the effects of using my Coffee & Spice Sugar Scrub recently in the shower. I'm not a coffee drinker, though I do enjoy the occasional mocha. I'm happy to have found a fabulous way to enjoy the aroma of coffee and some of it's "perky" benefits.

Autumn makes me happy!
I LOVE this time of year. It's time to slow down, get cozy, and nurture ourselves! How do you nurture yourself? Do you take enough time out of your busy schedule to nurture yourself? If not, then perhaps you are like the many of us who have busy lives and fully intend to take time out for self care but struggle to make it happen. Well, I have good news.....now is a good time to to start! The season of Fall can support you in nurturing yourself. The energy of the Fall season is all about slowing down, harvest, and nourishment. How can you put these elements into practice within your own life during this time of year? Think small. Think simple. Here one idea: instead of starting your day with the long To Do List in your head before you even fully wake up, slow down.....try the simple act of taking a few intentional deep breaths upon waking in the morning while you think about three things you're grateful for. What simple act can you think of to incorporate into your day that will be nurturing?

Fall is harvest time. One of the definitions of harvest is: the result or product of an action. Actions can be big, and actions can be small; but make your actions intentional and you will reap the benefits. What I mean is, if you make an effort to take some kind of action toward nurturing yourself more, whether big or small, you will find more peace and balance in your life - reap THOSE benefits baby! ha ha

The message of the season; take the time to nourish your body and soul.


I will make time this season to nourish my body and my soul by:

- Getting back into the routine of a monthly massage

- Pampering my skin and spirit with a facial

- Taking one evening a week to do something crafty

- Taking time to JUST sit and watch the leaves fall

- Enjoying the process of making a nourishing meal and eating it SLOWLY

   

How will you make time this season to nourish your body and soul?